Haven't heard the latest incarnation, however the Watt/Puppies I've heard in the version 3 and version 5
with various electronics. The sound could charitably be described as mediocre, and for the price, laughable.
High end was sizzling, with a pronounced midbass boom
and poor lower register extension. A pair of Magnepan
3-series completely outclassed the Wilsons. |
The Legacy Speaker line has to be the most outrageously
bad sounding group of speakers made. The possible exception is the Whisper which is still a disappointment without a
subwoofer. |
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Without doubt, Martin Logan Sequel II. Too much bass, and you have to fix your ears in a one foot space, I think they're pretty furniture. |
i second al gore as the worst |
I have never liked any of the Audio Physic speakers that I have heard. |
Wilson X-1 series I. The longest most boring one hour listening session ever. No cabinet resonances--can't complain there. But nothing really spectacular ever stood out. Soundstaging and imaging were only mediocre--my little Thiels did a better job on the Q sound material (as did the avalons). Not even worth $10K. "most over-rated, over-priced, over-hyped speaker"
Klipsch Epic series II. $100 in dynamat smoothed out and deepened the bass nicely, and the lower midrage opened up a bit. But the high frequencies still scraped your eardrums (classical sounded horrible). I've never like anything by klipsch. The units maybe worth hearing (that I haven't) are the old school line: klipschorn, chorus, forte, etc. But for the most part they suck. |
10 posts with a Blose nomination? Must be a record. |
Yeah but if is wasn't for big ol' Al, we would not be having this thread, remember hhe invented the internet!
Go GW and the USA!!! |
At least Al can pronounce the word "nuclear"...(Hey Peter,is it Olympics time again already? Seriously though, Shrub is a highly, umm, entertaining speaker - wouldn't trade him for a real president unless the going got tough...oops... ;^)
The worst $$K speaker I've ever personally encountered from a 'major' manufacturer came from Velodyne, of all companies. When I was selling audio retail about 10 years back, they introduced a small monitor - which was their first (and I believe last!) attempt at this market - with very dense cabinetry, beautifully-made, and metal-diaphragmed drivers in a D'Appolito configuration, which supposedly incorporated some kind of 'revolutionary' technology that time (or at least myself) has forgotten. I don't recall the model name, but these babies were given a big promotional push, with a rep coming out to the stores to demo them and give background for salespeople, with literature, display cards, etc. I seem to remember them selling for around $3.5K, a lot at the time for their size (sorry if any of my 'factual' recollections are off-base). Anyway, these things were just the biggest stinkers - the most closed-in, uptight, totally dead-sounding music killers - any other speakers in the shop did better, regardless of price. Needless to say, none were sold, and I think after about a year they quietly disappeared from the market - certainly from our store (though their subs stayed). This speaker, whatever it was, isn't even listed on Velodyne's website under their model history. Anybody know more 'bout this fiasco, or remember the model name/number?... |
Wilson Puppies 5 they would be asking to much at half of their list price. WITT's much worse though. |
Great take Rosstaman, LMAO;>) I actually owned Boze 501s way back in the early 70's, and at the time thought they were cool-- the advertizing did the trick. Their "direct reflecting" design sucked big time for bass. A few years later, a pair of "still not high end" JBLs buried the Bozos. Cheers. Craig |
Agreed on the Watt/puppy (version 6 was what I heard). boomy overdone bass, bright highs. Nice imaging, but I couldnt' live with them. not at 1/4 the price.
-Ed |
Years ago at a show some exhibitor brought speakers that were horn loaded, with actual horns! Like from a tuba or something. Amazingly dreadful. |
George Bush, by a long shot!!! |
Wilson Witt... Harsh sound...To my ears at least |
How 'bout the Yamaha 'Earspeaker' from the '70's? No, not a set of headphones, but a box speaker, very thin as I recall, and the diaphragm or whatever that made the sound (?) was the shape of the outside of a human ear. And who said the Japanese don't have a sense of humor? |
it has to be bill clinton because there is no truth to reality as in a bad speaker. al gore and hilary are close seconds!!!!!!!! |
Bose 901s. They sound comes from the back of the speakers. They speakers sound like treble. They have no bass. There horrible. |
Zaikesman, the speaker was the Velodyne DF-661. It got panned by John Atkinson in a Stereophile review in 1994, but got praise for low distortion and accuracy by Peter Aczel in The Audio Critic. I think it is still being sold as a home theater speaker, based on eBay ads, and I think the manufacturer is RBH(?). |
Definately-BOSE!Any BOSE!Incredible garbage for this money! |
Hey Guys! You forgot Ross Perot! |
In addition to the df-661 there were/was the LD2,LD3, and possibly an LD1. I've heard the LD2--mixed emotions about'em. Cabinets like bricks though-you're right. There's better stuff today. |
At least Al can pronounce the word "nuclear"..."
We had a laugh about that in Org Chemistry class...nerds.
With a frequency response like the Rocky Mountains, the worst speaker of all time are Bose 501s. Direct/reflecting can't help either, which reminds me again of GW - Focus, GW, focus! |
Anyone claiming to be concerned about the welfare of American workers who wears a $1000 three piece suit and thinks CEOs deserve their inflated salaries!! |
Though they really shouldn't be mentioned on AudioGon
my vote would be pointed at BOSE as the most over hyped
over rated speaker of all.
Wow!!!! that felt great saying that. Thanks Jec, for the
opportunity. |
Avantgarde. I've heard them several different times, and I don't know what all the fuss is about. Looks like something out of the movie "Barbarella" and sound like a big honky megaphone! Supposedly, amp matching is critical, but after hearing them on at least 4 different occasions, I couldn't wait to leave the room each time! The Classic Audio Reproductions (horns) driven by an Atma-sphere S-30 (30 wpc) totally blew away the Avantgarde for much less "moolah". Come to think of it, ANY other horns that I've heard sounded way more musical than the Avantgarde! |
Martin Logan Sequel II's are a great speaker, but placement and room size are critical, if done wrong they sound BAD.
Just like a Turntable, set up wrong you will never know how good it really is.
Martin Logon speakers are very good value for the money, but they are not plug in and play. |
Once I came across a cartoon in which cop was questioning an old fat lady seated on a chair "Lady we have tweeters that can make you talk" I bet the speakers in question was a 901 from Bose!
Second place goes to Wilson CUB, sheer waste of money! |
This is funny to me....of all my years in retail audio, It never ceases to amaze me how people can BRIEFLY go listen to some SYSTEM set up somewhere, and make comments on WHAT THE SPEAKERS SOUNDED LIKE!!!!
I think most everyone here is making references to having heard some speaker at one time, and thus made judgements.
I've heard some potentially world class speakers, time and time again, set up very very poorly, with very missmatched gear!!! My point is that I think too many people make judgements on CRITICALLY BALANCED gear, which is pushed in a wrong sonoic dirrection one way or another, and they blam ONE PARTICULAR COMPONENT(in this case, the speakers) as being sonically underachieving!!! I mean I"m hearing some very nice equipment mentioned in some very poor light by some people. and I know that a lot of those pieces, set up right, in the right system and hands can sound fantastic!
I can't tell you how many times I've heard people "poo poo" speakers because somehow the rest of the system WAS FLAWED!
...It's kinda like people judging the Pressident, when really the congress, senate, and even Judiciary are influencing things as much or more! |
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I agree with Fattparrot the avantgards are yukee!Jim Smith
needs an ear transplant.
As far as Wilsons go yuppie all the way! |
Shahinian Obelisk.
Driven by Musical Fidelity preamp and Class A monoblocks with Levinson CD gear. The most unengaging, squashed image, pseudo high end system I have ever heard.
What's with the fuss and cult following. I dont get it. |
I thought the wilsons were setup wrong myself, but the dealer told me dave wilson came and personnaly set them up himself--and if the designer can't setup his own speakers right then he probably can't design them right either. Regardless it makes no sense to me why a dealer would display and drive thier $70k speakers with inferior gear (incidentally they were running off an SS audio research amp/MIT cables/and Theta gear upstream)--but I thought the whole point of selling the product in an audition was to set it up properly so people can actually hear what its capable of. I think the dealers are more to blame than some of us posting (assuming these products are better than we heard). All in all, I don't think its tough to ouperform a Wilson though. After the x-1 was "product of the year" in '95 with stereophile, in next months issue the reviewer auditioned the JMlabs Grande Utopia against the wilson and stated he liked the Utopia more--one month and the $70k speaker is obseleted by a better looking and sounding speaker at $5k less in thier own pages--all from the golden eared reviewers. The TAD model 1 at $40k would outperform the x-1 and the Maxx. http://www.tadaudio.com/home/model-1.html |
It always amazes me at how good Wilson speakers sound to me but how harsh they are to other audiogoners. The few times I have heard them they were set up in a relatively small room(16x20) with the richest bass and midrange. The treble was rolled off but still sounded very good. The models were the Witts,6's and Sophia's. It must be the room and component matching. |
Kharma Reference Monitor 3.2 Ouch! Bloody ear! |
Ah come on kevinwann are you deaf or a flamer which is it? |
"At least Gore can pronounce 'nuclear'."??? Anyone else see the video of Al looking at busts of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (in Jefferson's house no less) and asking, "Now, who are these people?"? How 'bout Al speechifying across the country saying "You can't get a zebra to change it's spots"? And don't forget his claim that mommy and daddy sang the "Union Label" song to him when lil' Al was still in a crib. That song was written when Gore was 27 years old! Kind of like Hillary claiming she was named after Sir Edmond Hillary because he conquered Mt Everest. She said her mother wanted Hillary to have a name that would inspire her to great heights. I actually saw this interview. By the way, Sir Ed first climbed Mt E. when Clinton was 4 1/2 yrs old. I guess mom just called her "Hey, You!" until then.
Anway, worst speaker (unlistenable, had to make an excuse to get out of the store) was 1998 or 1999 vintage Wisdom Audio driven by Edge electronics. Embarassingly thin, edgy, and lean. This was the two tall columns with two subwoofers. |
A DCM model of recent vintage. I 've heard factory car systems that were better at everything. |
The Delphi Imager speakers or Jimmy Carter. |
For me it was a pair of Talon Khorus speakers. I'm not sure if it was because they were not properly set up, but they sounded awful!! No midrange at all. Highs seemed OK as I recall, and bass was OK, but vocals were horrible!! Very flat. I walked away wondering what all the hype was about, how they could possibly list for $14K new, and then thinking now I know why they sell for $4-5K used. |
Legacy Wispers, loaded with drivers, which only makes it bark even louder. Heard with several amps, nothing helped. An appropriate name would be Legacy Howl-er & Growl-er |
Legacy Whispers, loaded with drivers, which only makes it BARK even louder. Heard them with several high quality amps, nothing helped! An appropriate title would be Legacy Howl-ER & Growl-ER, yea that fits the description. |
Swan's Diva 3.1
I bought these over the internet sight unseen. After five minutes of listening I realized I had made a bad, bad mistake.
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Well, Hell, as long as the moderators don't mind political cant.
THREE TEXAS SURGEONS
Three Texas surgeons were arguing as to which
had the greatest skill. The first began: "Three years
ago, I reattached seven fingers on a pianist. He went
on to give a recital for the Queen of England."
The second replied: "That's nothing. I attended a man
in a car accident. All his arms and legs were severed
from his body. Two years after I reattached them, he
won three gold medals for field events in the Sydney
Olympics."
The third said: "A few years back, I attended to
a cowboy. He was high on cocaine and alcohol when he
rode his horse head-on into a Santa Fe freight train
traveling at 100 miles per hour. All I had to work
with was the horse's ass and a ten gallon hat. Two
years ago he became president of the United States."
Yeeeeeeeeeeee............Hawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |
I'm not sure what purpose responses to this question serve. In my 40+ years in this hobby, I don't think I have ever heard a piece of high-end audio equipment that would deserve this type of put-down. E.g. we are to believe that a pair of $14,500 Legacy Whispers are outperformed by every other speaker that Tweekman has heard in his lifetime? Really? I suppose that includes the Walmart and Circuit City speaker lines also? Certainly he has heard these as some point in his life. This type of hyperbole helps no one and can hurt honest business people who are trying,after all, to make our lives more pleasurable. I have twice visited Bill Dudleston at his Legacy factory . He is a true gentleman. He has built a successful business from the ground up thru hard work and has a loyal customer base. He also is extremely bright and one of the better speaker designers according to his peers and numerous journal reviews.
I have no objection to people expressing their opinion in a positive way, but such derogatory statements are demeaning, most of all, to the person making such statements.
There is probably no piece of audio gear that engenders more disagreement than speakers. Everyone seems to have their own favorite. Just look at the thread here relating to the best speaker you have ever heard. There are about as many opinions as posters. Isn't it great that we have so many choices? Do we want to put more companies like Dunlavy out of business thru negativism? I think not. Cheers. |
